Electrical contact strips



Oct. 12, 1965 B. CLEWES ELECTRICAL CONTACT STRIPS Filed Jan. 21, 1963INVENTOE AN'foNa B. CLEwBs BY $6M 13mm F/Gi9.

III! 7 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,212,051 ELECTRICAL CONTACT STRIPSAntony Brasher Clewes, Sherwood, Nottingham, England, assignor toUnited-Carr Incorporated, a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 21, 1963,Ser. No. 252,856 2 Claims. '(Cl. 339198) This invention relates toelectrical contact strips.

According to the present invention, an electrical contact unit comprisesa base formed of resilient synthetic plastic material and having anelectrical contact mounted thereon, the unit being formed with male andfemale coupling elements such that a series of units may be coupled toone another in end to end relation to form a strip.

The invention also includes an electrical contact strip comprising aseries of units each formed of resilient synthetic plastic material,each adapted to have a contact or contacts assembled thereon, each unithaving a male coupling element at one end and a female coupling elementat the opposite end to enable the units to be cou pled to one another toform a strip of any desired length.

Each unit may have a wall projecting from its upper face such that whena series of units are assembled to form a strip, a series oflongitudinally spaced barrier walls is provided isolating the contact orcontacts in one unit from those of an adjacent unit.

To enable the invention to be fully understood, it will now be describedby way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a unit for forming a contact strip accordingto one embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a section on the line AA of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an under plan view;

FIGURE 4 is an end view looking towards the left of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is an end view looking towards the right in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is a plan view similar to FIGURE 1, but showing a contactassembled with the unit;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view on the line B-B of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a plan view of a unit for connecting ends of pairs of stripsformed by the units illustrated in FIGURE 1 and FIGURE 9 is a plan viewof a series of the units illustrated in FIGURE 1 assembled to form astrip.

As illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the unit generallydesignated by 1 includes a base 2 formed with a pair of apertures 3leading to a recess 4, which comprises the female element of the unit. Aprojection 5 extends over part of the rear wall of the recess 4. Atapered barrier wall 6 extends substantially normally from the base, anda male element comprising a pair of laterally spaced ears 7 extends fromthe end of the unit opposite to the female element. A series of units 1are adapted to be assembled to form a chain of elements and areinterlocked with one another by inserting the ears 7 of the male elementby a sliding action into the recess 4 which forms the female element ofan adjacent unit. It will be understood that the walls of the recess 4will be preferably resilient to permit them to flex to enable theinsertion of the ears 7 into the recess, and retain the ears within therecess.

By assembling a pre-determined number of units in this way, a chain ofunits of any desired length can be built up to form a contact strip asindicated in FIGURE 9 of the drawings.

As indicated in FIGURES 6 and 7, a metal plate 8 is mounted on the baseof each unit and secured by integral rivet means 9 extending into theapertures 3.

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The rivet means 9 has a screw-threaded bore for receiving screws 10 forsecuring lead wires to the plate 8. The cars 7 of the male elements haveapertures 11 into which the lower ends of the screws 10 may extend. Ifdesired, separate rivets may be used for securing the plate 8.

A chain of connected units having a contact plate and screws assembledtherein, forms an electrical contact strip having a series oflongitudinally spaced sets of contacts, each set being isolated from aset on an adjacent unit by a barrier wall 6. The units are molded fromresilient synthetic plastic material, and the male and female elementsof the respective units are adapted to make interference fits with oneanother.

The units are assembled with one another by presenting the femaleelement of one unit in superposed relation to a male element of anotherunit and moving the units towards one another so that the ears 7 of themale element enter the recess 4 of the female element by a slidingaction, the projection 5 being disposed in the recess 5a between theears 7.

The chain of inter-connected units will, by virtue of being made ofresilient material, be capable of a small amount of relative movementsuch that a chain of units could be made to assume :a curved line to fitthe particular curvature on a chassis with which the contact strip is tobe used.

The units may be colored so that a chain or strip of inter-connectedunits may be formed of units of different colors or a chain or strip maybe formed of units of the same color, thus the units of the chains orthe whole chain could be colored according to the circuit connectionswith which they are to be used, so that they will be readily identified.

The units may be molded from nylon or like plastic material which iscapable of being molded in different colors or dyed or tinted.

To enable the ends of chains or strips of connected units to be securedto a support, a separate unit is provided and illustrated in FIGURE 8.As shown, this unit comprises a base 12 having a pair of ears 7a,forming a male element at each side, and so arranged that each pair ofears can be readily connected to the female element at the end of achain or strip. The base 12 is secured to a support by any suitablemeans, for example, by screws or rivets inserted through the pair ofcars 7a not assembled with the female element of the end unit of thechain. The other end of the strip is secured to the support by screws orrivets inserted through the ears 7 of the male element of the endmostunit.

I claim:

1. A pair of electrical contact units each comprising a base ofinsulating material having upper and lower surfaces, each of said baseshaving a recess in said lower surface adjacent one end thereof and eachof said bases having an integral projecting portion extending into saidrecess so as to form an opening on each side thereof, each of said baseshaving an opening in said upper surface and each of said bases carryinga contact element having a portion secured within said opening in saidupper surface, a male coupling element extending from an opposite end ofeach of said bases from said one end thereof, said male coupling elementof one of said bases having a pair of ears in mating engagement withsaid other base within said openings of said recess, there being anopening between said ears for receiving said integral projecting portionof the other contact unit, thereby to secure said units in assembly.

2. A pair of electrical contact units each comprising a base ofinsulating material having upper and lower surfaces, each of said baseshaving a recess in said lower surface adjacent one end thereof and anopening in said upper surface intersecting said recess, said basecarrying a metal plate element on its upper surface, said plate elementhaving an eyelet element assembled with said base within said opening insaid upper surface, said eyelet being threaded onits inner wall, a screwmember in threaded engagement with said eyelet and having a head elementfor .coupling a wire conductor between said head element and said plateelement, a male coupling element extending from an opposite end of eachof said bases from said respective ends thereof, said male couplingelement having an ear in mating engagement with said other base withinsaid recess in said lower surface thereby to secure said units inassembly, and

said ear having an opening therethrough for receiving said screw memberthreaded into said eyelet of said other unit.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 25,446 9/63Ustin 339--l98 2,726,375 12/55 Gordon 339-198 2,743,373 4/56 De Smidt339-198 2,892,176 6/59 Gordon 339-198 2,923,913 2/60 Kulka 3391982,928,066 3/60 Gordon 339198 JOSEPH D. SEERS, Primary Examiner.

1. A PAIR OF ELECTRICAL CONTACT UNITS EACH COMPRISING A BASE OFINSULATING MATERIAL HAVING UPPER AND LOWER SURFACES, EACH OF SAID BASESHAVING A CESS IN SAID LOWER SURFACE ADJACENT ONE END THEREOF AND EACH OFSAID BASES HAVING AN INTEGRAL PROJECTING PORTION EXTENDING INTO SAIDRECESS SO AS TO FORM AN OPENING ON EACH SIDE THEREOF, EACH OF SAID BASESHAVING AN OPENING IN SAID UPPER SURFACE. FACE AND EACH OF SAID BASESCARRYING A CONTACT ELEMENT HAVING A PORTION SECURED WITHIN SAID OPENINGIN SAID SUPPORT SURFACE, A MALE COUPLING ELEMENT EXTENDING FROM ANOPPOSITE END OF EACH OF SAID BASES FROM SAID ONE END THEREOF, SAID MALECOUPLING ELEMENT OF ONE SAID BASES HAVING A PAIR OF EARS IN MATINGENGAGEMENT WITH SAID OTHER BASE WITHIN SAID OPENINGS OF SAID RECESS,THERE BEING AN OPENING BETWEEN SAID EARS FOR RECEIVING SAID INTEGRALPROJECTING PORTION OF THE OTHER CONTACT UNIT, THEREBY TO SECURE SAIDUNITS IN ASSEMBLY.